Automated Car Parking Systems A Historical Review

Automated Car Parking System

If you think automated parking systems (APS) are a modern innovation, think again. Just because we suddenly see a spate of car parking systems across cities worldwide doesn’t mean they are a recent development. Let’s take a walk down history to find out more about the origins and development of parking systems through the years.

According to The Mechanical Parking Guide 2011 by Leon Hamelink, the earliest reference of something akin to an automated parking system was the Garage Rue de Ponthieu constructed in 1905. The systems consisted of a lift in the center of the structure to move cars up one or two floors. Attendants on the floors would then park the cars. While this would technically be considered a semi-automatic system, the Garage Rue de Ponthieu contained many elements found in modern automated car parking systems.

It’s hard to imagine that the early 1900s could have had parking problems. However, in USA and France, mass production of cars was underway and urban residents welcomed them as they considered cars desirable and environmental friendly.

Horses and horse carriages were the mode of transport then, and for urban citizens living in crowded cities, horses and their upkeep were inconvenient. Moreover, horse droppings made the city dirty and unhealthy. So consumers welcomed cars as cleaner, more convenient alternatives.

A ‘Paternoster system‘was built to park cars, around 1920. It was structured like a Ferris wheel that could fit eight cars in the space of two. The structure became popular as it was easy to operate and occupied less space. It could also be incorporated into a building. Concurrently, an APS with the ability to park more than a thousand cars were being installed by Kent Automatic Garages.

In the 1940s-50s, automated parking systems captured the attention in the US. Some of the systems installed then are still in usage today. These systems included Bowser, Pigeon Hole systems, and Roto Park. However, frequent mechanical problems and long waiting periods to retrieve cars led to a loss of interest in automated parking systems.

The UK got its own Auto Stacker in 1961 in Woolwich, London. In the 90s, while there were installations of more technically advanced APS in Europe, Asia, and Central America, Japan was building around 40,000 parking spaces annually, using paternoster APS. In the 2000s, economic prosperity in the USA resulted in a massive increase in the number of cars, reviving interest in APS. USA got its first robotic parking garage in 2002 in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Conclusion

Today, more than half of the world’s population lives in cities. By 2050, the UN projects that figure will increase to about 70%. Whatever the actual figure ends up to be, one thing is irrefutably true: all of those cars and people will exert a heavy burden on our mobility systems and infrastructure.

Thankfully, automated parking systems are yielding greater convenience for drivers and less congestion for cities.

An automated parking systems company like Wohr Parking Systems is innovating and installing automated parking systems across India to help combat parking problems in this overpopulated country. Wohr has over 5 decades of experience and lakhs of multilevel parking installations to their credit. Wohr’s automatic parking systems deliver easy operations and a high level of operating and functional safety according to EN norms. Wohr also partners and consults to recommend, design and develop the most suitable parking system for individual needs.

5 Misconceptions about Automated Parking Systems

Automated Parking System

Automated Parking System

With rising land prices and limited space, traditional parking garages are becoming a far less attractive option with the invention of new automated parking systems (APS). These automated parking systems are designed to be efficient and can typically park the same amount of cars in half as much space. And we’re seeing more and more of these APS around the world.

Yet people have doubts and fears regarding APS. In this blog, we will discuss five of the main misconceptions about APS, and hopefully dispel all doubts.

1. APS is expensive

Price and operating costs may differ, depending on whether you opt for a fully automated parking system, semi-automated parking system or manual stackers.

Studies have revealed that construction cost of automated parking systems is comparable or less than traditional garages. In fact, construction hard costs are saved by eliminating an entire floor of concrete, an elevator stop and ramps.

When comparing cost per space of an automated parking system with the cost per space of conventional parking, it’s important to analyse potential savings offered by APS. These include reduced construction time, reduced excavation and land cost, reduced operator requirements, etc. Moreover, there’s added value from the space gained which can be sold, leased or used for green space. Also, since parking systems are classified as equipment, they can be depreciated, providing an upfront tax incentive for developers.

Don’t forget other advantages such as LEED points, no car theft, increased driver’s safety, reduced carbon emissions, etc. When you consider all these aspects, in the face of decreasing availability of space for parking, APS surely makes sound business sense.

2. APS is new technology, so unproven

APS was first introduced in 1905 in Paris, France at the Garage Rue de Ponthieu. It was a multi-story concrete structure with an internal elevator to transport cars to upper levels where attendants parked the cars. A ‘Paternoster system‘was built to park cars, around 1920. It was structured like a Ferris wheel that could adjust eight cars in the space of two cars. The structure became popular as it was easy to operate and occupied lesser space.

Over the years, many innovations and technologies for parking systems have come and gone, but since the 1990s, there has been a spate of installations across Europe, USA, Japan, Asia and Central America. So while modernization and technology enhancements continue, APS is not really new. It has been up and running for decades.

3. APS is unsafe

If you think about it, automated car parking systems are just elevators and conveyor systems. We don’t think twice about riding an elevator, so why worry about safety of APS? APS are in fact safer than traditional garages because customers leave their vehicles at the entrance of the facility and there’s no need to wander the aisles of a structure looking for one’s parked car. Since the facility is inaccessible to pedestrians, the potential for accidental damages such as scratches or dents, or the potential for vehicle theft or vandalism is almost non-existent.

As far as safety of vehicles is concerned, there is the possibility of glitches or malfunctions in the mechanical or hydraulic operation, but ever-evolving technology and stringent safety standards minimize such risks. The world’s leading manufacturer of automated parking systems, Wohr is setting industry standards with its High German quality and safety standards.

4. APS is not durable

As discussed in point 3, APS technology is not new. If APS did not perform with efficiency and reliability for years, we would not see sales of such systems increasing worldwide. The growing popularity of APS across the world speaks for itself, and there are good examples of durability of APS. The silo-type vehicle towers in AutoStadt (car city) in Germany have been operative for almost 20 years, and some ‘Pigeon Hole’ systems installed in USA in the 1950s are still working today. In Japan too, there are systems still operative after 3 decades.

5. APS is costly to run

Automated parking facilities can park twice as many vehicles as same-sized traditional structures, so revenue opportunities are much greater. The growing popularity of such systems in public pay-n-park facilities is proof of profitability.

Sure, there are some operating costs, including labor and total electricity, but when you calculate the sheer convenience and safety such systems deliver, you’ll find it is well worth the investment.

Maintaining these sophisticated systems can be expensive, as servicing and repair costs can be steep. Signing up for a good maintenance contract can help prevent break downs and minimize downtime.

Conclusion

Trust Wohr Parking Systems to optimize your parking space and return on investment with their world-class, globally proven automated car parking systems.

Wohr has over 5 decades of experience and more than 600,000 multilevel parking installations to their credit. Wohr partners through all stages of the project: from consultancy with architects in the design stage of the real estate project through planning, construction, installation and commissioning. Wohr also undertakes maintenance and running of the system, ensuring operations are smooth and trouble-free.

Talk to Wohr about your car parking space requirements today.